Why Should He Bless Us?

So much has been on my heart lately about our country, families, and just the shape everything has gotten into in the past few years. Celebrating the 4th last week was bittersweet in so many ways since it's hard to be thankful for America being my home but at the same time see it turn into a place I almost don't recognize anymore. Not to mention thinking about my children growing up in a nation that is quickly choosing to turn away from the God that made us what we are today!

My mom reminded me of a song the other day that I had heard a few years ago but not thought about recently. The verses speak about the laws being made to take prayer out of schools and allowing abortion to be legal, but the chorus is even more fitting to society as a whole.....

Why should God bless America?
She's forgotten He exists.
And has turned her back on
everything that's made her what she is.
Why should God stand beside her,
through the night, with the light
from His hand?
God have mercy on America,
forgive our sins and heal our land!

As I sang those words to myself the past few days my heart broke even more to realize that there is swiftly becoming no reason why God should or even will bless us due to all the sin we've allowed to be so prevalent in our lives. And the saddest part is realizing that the main problem doesn't really lie with who our president is or those who have passed such awful, ungodly laws. The main problem is with us as Christians who have just set back and allowed it to happen, while we enjoy having our flesh entertained by worldly things, learn how to fit in so that our lives aren't so hard, condone rather than condemn sin, and mistakenly think we don't need to judge in order to not seem legalistic. In other words, we've chosen the easy way out rather than standing up for what's right......and now we, and especially our children, are paying for it.

So where does that leave us? Is that really the end of the story and now we just wait for God's judgement to fall on this wicked nation and even ourselves? Some may say yes, but I'm not totally sure that I agree. We watched the movie Monumental yesterday that was recently made by Kirk Cameron and it definitely gave me alot more to think about. (if you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend that you go out and buy it!) Even before then though while searching my heart after being so discouraged over the way things are, there was a well known scripture that kept coming to mind and it seemed to just resonate with me even more last night and this morning.

If MY people, which are called by MY name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek MY face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land. 2Chronicles 7:14

I'm sure this is a verse that we all know, but I wonder how often we truly think about what it actually says. And most importantly put it into practice!! I know for myself that I am sometimes the worst at seeing what needs to be done about something, but so often failing to be the one who steps up to do it. What I feel like the Lord keeps reminding me of is that this scripture is to me, you, all of those who are His. Not the ones out in the world that don't even know Him. It's my wicked ways, the one who claims to be His child, that needs to be turned from; I'm the one who needs to be seeking His face and praying for our land. Oh, that I would be willing to humble myself more and let go of more selfish, worldly pursuits to do just that. For the sake of my family, our nation, and their future.

Because I truly believe that if enough of God's people would be willing to admit what we've become, truly give up our sinfulness, and get back to just seeking Him, He will still keep His promises. Yes, there will eventually still be judgement on this world and yes, things will probably never totally be better with so many choosing to live in sin. But who knows what a difference we could make until then?! And isn't that all that should matter? I would love nothing more than for my children to see true revival, even on a small scale compared to those in the past, and know that it started with me praying and seeking God.

There's a quote by DL Moody that I think of often and have been feeling convicted of lately that we've failed to put into practice. Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure. Another one that I think is fitting as well says, No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil. Not that he practices it, but that he suffers from it. I truly believe this is why he works so hard to hinder us from praying and seeking God, because he knows the truth that we so often seem to easily forget. Prayer does change things. There's a reason why the Bible says that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. How amazing could the outcome be if we put into practice the verse in Chronicles about turning from our wicked ways and then follow that with a fervent seeking of God in prayer?!

My hope today is that I wouldn't just write this in a blog post and then go on my merry way. That I will be burdened, convicted, and challenged by these words enough to truly make some changes in my life. To fall on my face before the Lord, seek His help, and find out what He wants from us. Won't you please join me in this today? It could just possibly be the beginnings of something greater than we can even imagine. Because He never fails to do what He said He would when we do our part as well.

Struggling With the Hard Times {first part}

To be honest, I'm not totally sure how to start this post. I want to share some of what we've gone through these past few months with Darcey, but it's hard to know where to begin since it's also tied into things we've experienced the past several years as well.

Just for a little background let me tell some of what happened with our first baby and try to lead up til now. We were under alot of stress and my health wasn't the greatest during my first pregnancy(with Dathan). And for whatever reasons he ended up having alot of health problems when he was born, which of course only added to the stress we were already experiencing in other areas. He had severe reflux, allergies, etc and ended up back in the hospital several times after he began to also have apnea episodes when he would fall asleep. I'll never forget the feeling of walking into the bedroom to check on him and finding him already turning blue for the first time. And then having to watch him go through all the horrible tests and things they put him through at the hospitals...without ever finding out what was wrong. It was a really awful time. I can't even really describe all that we've gone through with him or how difficult it's been (and still is) to see him suffer so much and not know what to do about it.
Then we had Delancey when he was about 20 months old (surprise!) and although she didn't become as severe in some ways, she still had enough health problems of her own that it was very challenging to take care of them both....to the point that I was entirely overwhelmed most days. Which needless to say, led to my own physical and emotional health being bad as well. Fast forward a couple of years to me getting mono and it causing dysautonomia on top of everything else and I was a mess! We had always wanted at least 4 kids, but after all of this taking care of the two we had was more than we could deal with at times. Skipping ahead a couple more years and some of my health issues were a little better(like the dysautonomia somewhat), but I still struggled in most areas...not only physically but emotionally as well, which I really think can be just as bad or worse.
I had been considering checking into something more drastic (like surgery) for some severe monthly pain I was having that greatly interfered with my ablility to cope with or do just about anything for a couple of weeks at a time, but just wasn't sure if it was the best thing to do. And although we had gone most of this time since Delancey's birth without preventing more babies and I was honestly beginning to think I maybe couldn't get pregnant again, I think my heart still held on to the desire to have more kids. So we occasionally discussed possibly adopting one day and I was also telling Blake that I wanted to pray about the surgery thing and that God would show us what I needed to do for this pain and whether or not we were supposed to ever have more kids ourselves or if it was okay that I do something more permanent to keep from it. When much to my surprise I ended up realizing I was expecting again just a few weeks later! So I guess the Lord answered that prayer pretty obviously. :)

*Since this is quickly turning into a very long post, I will stop here for now and finish up with the rest of Darcey's story in another one. Stay tuned......